Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark on league, UC tourney opportunities
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark on league, Cincinnati Bearcats tourney opportunities
(Follow here for live updates for the Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Utah Utes game in the Phillips 66 Big 12 men’s basketball tournament. The latest updates will be at top when hitting refresh.)
KANSAS CITY, MO – It’s win or go home for the Cincinnati Bearcats as they face the Utah Utes at the T-Mobile Center in the No. 9 vs. No.16 seed game on March 10 in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Tournament.
A win over TCU on March 7 could have vaulted UC into the No. 6 seed and given them an extra day of preparation, but the Bearcats lost to the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, 73-63, with TCU earning the No. 6 seed.
What that means is UC will have to win five games in five days for the Big 12’s automatic bid. Only North Carolina State in the ACC in 2024 and Connecticut in the Big East in 2011 have ever accomplished that feat.
Buy Cincinnati Bearcats tickets
The Bearcats could enhance their NCAA tournament résumé with a win over Utah, followed by a win over the No. 8 seed UCF on Wednesday, March 11. That would put them in a Thursday, March 12 quarterfinal with Big 12 top seed Arizona. A win there would seemingly improve their chances, but much depends on how other “bubble teams” perform.
In his pre-tournament remarks, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark immediately declared, “The Big 12 is the second-best league in the country, next to the NBA”.
He cited five Big 12 teams ranked in the Top 25 (Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Kansas). The league also has three more teams in the NCAA.NET Top 50 which as of March 10 was BYU at No. 24, TCU at No. 41 and UC at No. 46. Barely outside is UCF at No. 51.
“My expectation for the NCAA Tournament is we should have a minimum of eight to nine men’s teams,” Yormark said. “I believe if you’re playing .500 ball in conference play you’re proving you’re good enoughto compete for a national title.”
Of those considered “bubble teams”, Yormark made their cases.
“TCU’s on a five-game winning streak, West Virginia’s won two games against projected NCAA teams in the last three games and Cincinnati has been a Top 25 team according to the analytics since December,” he said.
The next option would not be the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), but would involve a return appearance in the Crown Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas. The start date for the Crown is April 1, which is the day UC coach Wes Miller’s buyout drops to $4.69 million, should that be a decision-making factor.
Brian Thornton is a former Xavier Musketeer, but also is the Big 12’s Vice President for Basketball. Before answering a question on the Crown, Yormark deferred to Thornton.
“It will be our two highest NET teams that don’t make the NCAA Tournament,” Thornton said. “It is a contractual obligation we have with one of our trusted partners. We look forward to our teams going and representing in Las Vegas at a very good tournament.”
Added Yormark, “The Crown is a great platform for our student-athletes.”
The Crown is televised by FS1 and Fox. Yormark was asked about Big 12 bubble teams that conceivably could undergo coaching changes should they not make the NCAA Tournament.
“I believe in the depth and parity of this conference,” Yormark said. “For a couple of schools, they could play their way in this week, which would be fantastic. It’s an exciting time for the conference. For those two schools that just miss, they’ll have a wonderful opportunity to go to Vegas and be a part of a special tournament there in the Crown.”
Thornton pointed out the transfer portal opened last season at the start of the NCAA tournament. This year it doens’t open until the end of the tournament, which could allow more teams to have more available players. For instance, UCF lost eight players to the portal before playing UC in the Crown quarterfinal last season.
Thornton compared the opportunity to a football bowl game agreement as contractually it would be frowned upon if a team “opted out”. He also mentioned the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opportunity for players and the favorable TV window as the tournament goes on during the week of the NCAA Final Four and the NIT semifinals.
Thornton said UCF was able to bounceback with a good season this year and the 2025 Crown champion, Nebraska, came into this week at 26-5 and second in the Big Ten to Michigan.
The Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament features a new glass floor with LED capabilities for advertisements and statistics. The maker is ASB GlassFloord and Windex is a Big 12 sponsor. When a player shoots a free throw on one end, on the other end, his statistics appear. The upside of an upstairs seat at T-Mobile Center is better viewing of the theatrics.
Tip: Tuesday, March 10 at 2 p.m. Central/3 p.m. Eastern, T-Mobile Center (18,972)
TV/Radio: ESPN+/WLW-AM (700)
Series: UC leads 2-1 (Bearcats won 69-65 Feb. 15 at Fifth Third Arena)
Record: 10-21 (2-16 Big 12)
Coach: Alex Jensen (first season, 10-21)
Offense: 74.6 ppg
Defense: 79.3 ppg
(Position, Height, Stats)
Terrance Brown (G, 6’3″, 19.8 ppg)
Don McHenry (G, 6’2″, 17. 3 ppg)
Keanu Dawes (F, 6’9″, 12.4 ppg)
Saydou Traore (F, 6’6″, 8.9 ppg)
James Okonkwo (F, 6’8″, 2.9 ppg)
Record: 17-14 (9-8 Big 12)
Coach: Wes Miller (99-73, fifth season; 283-208 overall)
Offense: 73.4 ppg
Defense: 67.7 ppg
(Position, Height, Stats)
Day Day Thomas (G, 6’1″, 11.6 ppg)
Jizzle James (G, 6’3″, 11,4 ppg)
Jalen Celestine (G/F. 6’7″, 8.2 ppg)
Baba Miller (F, 6’11”, 13.4 ppg)
Moustapha Thiam (C, 7’2″, 12.5 ppg)
UC held Utah’s top scorer Terrance Brown to 11 points in their lone meeting, but fellow guard Don McHenry had 18. Utah’s top performer was Keanu Dawes, who had a double-double against UC’s bigs with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
For the Bearcats, it will have to be a bounce-back game for Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam. Miller had just four points at TCU and Thiam just eight, with only one basket in the second half. The last game both were held in single digits was UC’s loss at Houston, Jan. 31, when the Cougars held both UC post players to two points each.
UC has lost five times when Baba Miller has not scored in double figures and six times when Thiam has been held below 10.
KenPom.com: UC is No. 42, Utah is No. 127
NCAA NET: UC is No. 47, Utah is No. 132
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives UC an 80.9% chance of beating Utah.
Spread (via Draft Kings): UC -12.5
Over/under: 137.5
Money line: Utah +600, UC -900
On paper, this should be a comfortable UC win. But in March, comfort rarely exists. As much as Utah struggled in the league, their two wins came against teams the Bearcats lost to: TCU and at West Virginia.
In Salt Lake City, they only lost to Iowa State by six and BYU by five. There won’t be many Utes in Kansas City to cheer them on, but it’s not like the arena will be packed full of Bearcats. I expect some sluggishness, but enough resiliency to hold Utah off and win by double-digits. When UC reaches 80, they win. Utah gives up 79 on average and just allowed 101 to Baylor. Bearcats win 80-67.
